Council chiefs have decided to start a major public consultation on a new version of one of its most important planning documents just three weeks before Christmas.

Introducing a revised version of Perth and Kinross Council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) to councillors, depute chief executive Jim Valentine said the consultation had to start next month to meet deadlines set by the Scottish Government.

He did say, however, that the consultation period would be extended so that it would run from December 1 to February 2, 2018, to allow for the festive season when the public are typically more preoccupied celebrating Christmas and New Year.

He stressed the now nine-week consultation on the ‘LDP2’, which will inform decisions on developments right across Perth and Kinross for at least the next five years once it is signed off by Scottish Ministers, will be three weeks longer than is required under existing legislation.

Drawing attention to some of the “new” sites identified for housing schemes in the updated plan council leader Ian Campbell said a site known as Perth West was being recommended for inclusion to add “robustness” to the plan should housebuilding not progress at anticipated rates elsewhere - despite the Scottish Government deciding a similar proposal five years ago was “inappropriate”.

Councillor Campbell declared: “The plan before you today supplements the land supply by identifying a limited range of new sites giving robustness to the plan should one of the key strategic sites not progress as fast as predicted.

Cllr Ian Campbell, leader of Perth and Kinross Council

“In particular, we see Perth West finally incorporated as a strategic site. This provides not just housing land but more importantly key strategic employment land allocations, highly accessible to the trunk road network.”

But Scottish Government reporter David Buylla said of the site’s proposed inclusion in the old LDP back in 2013: “The plan’s provisions for the majority of [the] site ... are inappropriate and insufficient due to the reliance on an access that, on the evidence available to date, is likely to cause unacceptable landscape and visual harm and which has not been properly considered or publicised.

“It would therefore be unsafe and inappropriate to sanction the development of this site by a specific allocation in the proposed plan.”

As well as the proposed inclusion of the Perth West site Councillor Campbell said a further “limited range of new sites” had been added including sites in both Strathearn and Strathmore to meet “recent projections [that] require additional housing land allocation”.

“The plan identifies strategic allocations in Blairgowrie, Crieff and Auchterarder which meet these requirements,” he said. “As with the Perth area these strategic sites are likely to meet development needs beyond the plan period,” he added.

Councillor Campbell also declared the LDP2, once finalised, would draw a line under the continuing dispute over whether housing numbers “indicated” in the LDP should be rigidly stuck to or whether developers are free to apply to build more by introducing what he described as a “density range” for sites.

Encouraging participation in the upcoming consultation a PKC spokesperson said earlier this week: “Locals are encouraged to make their opinions known on the contents of the plan and at this stage the council is asking people whether they support a particular policy or site in the plan, or if they would like the plan changed before it is adopted.

“Issues raised during the public consultation will be heard by an independent reporter appointed by Scottish Ministers.”

The convener of PKC’s environment, enterprise and infrastructure committee, Councillor Colin Stewart, added: “The Perth and Kinross LDP 2017-2028 is the result of extensive dialogue and engagement between the council, key stakeholders, communities and developers.”

The proposed LDP2 can be accessed now from the council’s website now at www.pkc.gov.uk/proposedldp2. As stated above the consultation will start on December 1 and end on February 2, 2018.